


Best Friends, Somehow

by abitchsufferingwritersblock



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz, Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz (Two River Cast) RPF
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Post-Squip, also brooke calls michael mikey fight me on this, also um i just love richard goranski with all of my heart and i thought i should let everyone know, and are friendship goals, and do each others nails and have sleepovers, and you can fight me on that, because I want him to, because why tf not??, brooke and michael meet outside of jakes house, but the bitch wont appear because who needs him, but you will loose because my boy is a good ass singer, chloe is a bitch but i love her, i just fucking love Brooke lohst, im not good at tags, its gay, just read it please, like really fuckin gay, mentions of the halloween party, michael mell sings, michael plays uke, rich and michael go skating together, so he does, thank god, the boyfs talk shit out, the chapters are short but like ???? oh well ????, then they become best friends, this might turn into a texting fic too idk, with the whole squad after they all become friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-06-26 02:55:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15654306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abitchsufferingwritersblock/pseuds/abitchsufferingwritersblock
Summary: When Michael is left alone at Jake Dillinger's "epic" Halloween party, he makes friends with someone he never expected to talk to.aka Michael and Brooke meet outside Jake's house and become best friends, with a side of cute boyfs and Michael playing ukulele





	1. Halloween

“Get out of my way… loser” the words rung though Michael’s mind like a mantra as he slipped through the crowd of sweaty teenagers, inching towards the front door. Being bumped and thrown around made his destination hard to get to, but as he wedged his way through the crowd of dancing bodies, he finally ended up facing the polished white wood. 

 

The cool metal of the doorknob in his palm helped ground him, the chilling sensation sending a shiver down his spine. The brisk outside air suddenly hit him as he opened the door, the wind nipping at his face helped dry the tear tracks left discarded on his reddened cheeks. 

 

His feet seemed to move on their own, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw the shuddering shoulders of one Brooke Lohst in front of him. He could hear the choked sobs coming from the girl who was sat on the last few steps leading up to the Dillinger household, curling in on herself as if it would help the pain go away.

 

He didn’t quite know what he was going to do, but Michael slowly walked towards the girl, gently sitting down next to her as to not startle her. 

 

“Hey,” he spoke in a hushed whisper, trying to keep his voice soft. Brooke looked up from her lap, trying furiously to wipe the tears from her eyes. She looked at Michael with curiosity before realization settled in. 

 

“Hi. You’re… Michael, right? Jeremy’s friend?” She continued to cry, giving up on trying to hide her tears. Michael simply nodded, suppressing a wince at the mention of Jeremy, hesitantly placing his hand on the smaller girl’s shoulder. She smiled sadly, but he could see that she was truly grateful for his sympathy. They sat in the quiet night together, looking out at the street and the nearby rooftops, a comfortable silence settling between them. 

 

Michael turned to face the girl next to him, his hand still resting on her shoulder. He rubbed his fingers against her skin for a few fleeting seconds before sighing. “You wanna go for a drive?”

 

Brooke looked back at the boy who she could practically refer to as a stranger. He didn’t feel like a stranger to her, though. Something about they way he was trying to comfort her despite knowing nothing about her and that he, too, seemed to be in a funk made her feel drawn towards him. She nodded shyly, getting up after him. 

 

She followed him to a beat up PT Cruiser parked on side of the road, getting in after he unlocked the car doors. Sitting down and shutting the door after her, Brooke looked back at the house through the slightly dirty passenger side window. Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she looked away from Jake’s house and back down at her hands which rested in her lap. The car smelled faintly of weed and ripened blueberries, a smell that she didn’t think should be as comforting as it was. 

 

Shoving the key into the ignition, the car hummed to life, slightly vibrating the seats it’s two occupants were sat in. Michael looked in his rearview mirror before pulling out of his spot, kicking an empty slushie cup lying on the floor out of his way. The roads were barren considering the crowd of kids trick-or-treating had dwindled out a few hours ago. 

 

Michael didn’t ask any questions and neither did Brooke. They both were grateful for that. The silence was nice, almost peaceful. They had no certain destination, just as long as they were away from the bitter memories they had left behind at the Dillinger house. 

 

The hum of the car’s engine was enough to lull Brooke into a restless sleep as Michael drove down the various familiar streets of Red Bank, New Jersey. He looked over to see Brooke resting her head on the car window, her hair hanging in front of her face. He smiled, pulling into the parking lot of 7/11. 

 

Putting the car in park, Michael took another look at the resting girl in the passenger seat, debating if he should wake her up or not. He decided against it, making sure his run into the store would be a quick one. 

 

He was gone for a total of five minutes and was relieved to see Brooke had not waken up in his absence. Putting one of the slushies in the cupholder, Michael pulled out of the parking lot, sipping on the straw of his own slushie. 

 

Looking at the girl in the passenger seat once more, Michael started to drive off towards his house, not knowing where Brooke’s was. 

 

The drive to Michael’s house seemed slower than usual but he enjoyed the serenity that only the early hours of the morning seemed to provide. The stars seemed duller because of the foggy haze the night held, but he could still make out the few constellations that he knew. 

 

A sudden buzz filled the car as Michael turned onto his street, coming from the seat next to him. Looking up, he saw Brooke’s phone light up, guessing that she had an incoming call. He wondered if he should wake her up, but before he could, she started to stir. Blinking her eyes blearily, she looked down at the phone resting next to her against her leg. She read the caller ID before ignoring the call.

 

Brooke looked at Michael, who held two slushies in his hand, holding one out towards her. She took it gratefully, smiling at the boy, whose lips were already pressed against a straw of his own. He smiled around the straw in his mouth before looking back at the road. 

 

She took a sip of the drink, feeling the tangy grape taste hit her tongue. She smiled to herself, enjoying how cold the ice felt as it landed on her tongue and went down her throat. She felt the cold droplets of condensation on her palms, sending a shiver through her body. 

 

She recognized the street they were on as the one next to hers. 

 

“My street’s the next one down,” She whispered, her teeth still against the plastic straw. Michael nodded, the car inching towards the next street before he turned, seeing the rows of suburban houses surrounding them that were hnot unlike his own. He slowly drove down the street until Brooke held up her hand, pointing to the pale yellow house to their right, signaling that they were here. Michael pulled into the empty driveway, unlocking the doors as he parked. 

 

Brooke took one last look at Michael before opening the car door. She smiled sweetly at him before closing the door and walking slowly towards her porch. Michael started to pull out of the driveway when he heard a faint shout from outside. Looking out the car window, he could see Brooke running back towards the PT Cruiser, going towards the driver’s side. 

 

Confusedly, Michael rolled down the window to talk to Brooke but instead, a phone was thrusted into his hands. He looked at the screen that now illuminated his once completely dark car, seeing that she had her contacts app open with the name “Michael❤️” already typed out. Smiling slightly, Michael put in his phone number before handing the device back to Brooke, who just returned his smile before heading back towards her house.

 

Michael drove back towards his street, which wasn’t that far of a drive, he now knew. Pulling into his driveway, he saw that there were no other cars there, meaning his moms were out at work again. He sighed, turning off the ignition before heading inside. 

 

Kicking off his shoes, he left them discarded at the door before heading down to the basement. Descending down the stairs, Michael left the lights off, instead opting to leave the constellations of glow-in-the-dark stars that stuck on his ceiling as the only form of light. 

 

Sitting on his rickety old bed, Michael grabbed his ukulele from where it rested propped up against the leg of his bed frame. Playing a few random chords, Michael could recognize the tune he subconsciously started to play.

 

_ “You can have the toaster and the PC _

_ Or even my Timothy Green DVD _

_ I’ll let you have the couch and the TV _

_ Hang onto the jacket that you bought for me” _

 

Michael’s fingers stopped moving as he sighed, closing his eyes as he took a breath. 

 

_ “I don’t really care _

_ You can keep the things we used to share _

_ But what did you do with my heart? _

_ What did you do with my heart?” _

 

Michael shifted, moving back on his bed so that he could lean on the headboard. 

 

_ “No more fireworks, no more compass _

_ You didn’t leave a single butterfly in my stomach _

_ You took my spyglass, no knowing what lies ahead _

_ Took my warmth at night, but left a dent in my bed” _

 

Closing his eyes, Michael let his head lean back until it hit the headboard, halting his strumming for a second.

 

_ “I don’t care _

_ You can keep the things we used to share _

_ But what did you do with my heart? _

_ What did you do with my heart?” _

 

A choked sob escaped Michael’s lips, his hands starting to tremble.

 

_ “Strip me of my pride, that’s for the best _

_ But you also deprived me of a full night’s rest _

_ So no more dreams where we pull through _

_ And I can’t collect my thoughts ‘cause they’re still with you” _

 

Taking a deep breath, Michael pursed his lips before continuing.

 

_ “I don’t really care _

_ You can keep the things we used to share _

_ But what did you do with my heart? _

_ WHat did you do with my heart?” _

 

Tears started to flow down Michael’s face freely throughout the instrumental break, his fingers trembling with every chord. He shut his eyes even tighter, but it didn’t hold the tears back as much as he wanted it to. His breaths turning into heaves, Michael could feel his heart yearn for the boy who left him. The boy he used to call his best friend.

 

_ “I wouldn’t take it back even though I feel sore _

_ I meant it when I said what’s mine is yours _

_ But I need to know now that we’re apart _

_ What did you do…” _

 

Michael’s shuddered breaths turned into sobs, his voice growing louder with every word, pain and emotion seeping in through his voice.

 

_ “I need to know now that we’re apart _

_ What did you do with my heart? _

_ What did you do with my heart? _

_ What did you do with my heart? _

_ What did you do with my heart?” _

 

Michael opened his eyes, looking down at his wrist where the brown leather friendship bracelet he and Jeremy had made each other in elementary school was still knotted around his wrist.

 

_ “What did you do with my heart?”  _

 

He whispered the last line before letting his ukulele drop into his lap, his tears finally stopping. He felt his heart drop in his chest and his eyes ache from all the crying, but he continued to stare straight in front of him, his eyes void of any emotion. 

 

The Blinky pac man ghost charm attached to the bracelet swayed as his hands trembled, hitting his wrist with every movement. Jeremy’s bracelet had Inky on it. 

 

He ripped it off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!! I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter and decide to keep reading :)
> 
> Song: The Things We Used To Share - Thomas Sanders


	2. Sleepovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brooke and Michael have a bonding moment. And then a sleepover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that even though I don't respond to comments (I only respond to constructive criticism because if I responded to everyone, that'd be a hassle) I read them ALL and they make me feel so happpyyy!!!! I love you all so much and I'm really glad that this fic is being so well-received, I never expected that! So thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Your kind words always make my day :)

It had been a whole week since Jake’s Halloween party. People still weren’t shutting up about it. Rich and Jake had been out of school all week and no one knew what was up with them. But, as all high school news goes, by Monday, people would move on and talk about something else.

 

Michael’s own schedule hadn’t changed. He was still alone, no one to talk to other than his mutual friends that he met on warcraft servers. He and Brooke hadn’t hung out since the day of the Halloween party, hadn’t even texted each other, but everytime they catch each others eyes in the hallway or in class, they’d simply smile, wave, and continue on with their day.

 

It wasn’t until friday night that Brooke had reached out to him.

 

Michael had been at home, something he tends to do more of nowadays considering he doesn’t go to Jeremy’s house anymore. He was lying on the couch in his room, experimenting with his keyboard, playing a few tunes and melodies when his phone buzzed. He looked down at the carpet where it lay facing upwards, seeing that an unknown number had texted him.

 

**Unknown: Hey. you free rn? -Brooke <3**

 

Michael smiled, putting the keyboard on the ground before picking up his phone.

 

**You: ofc. I’ll pick you up @ 7?**

 

**Brooke _♥_ : I was thinking we could hang at mine?**

 

**You: sure. just tell me when to come over**

 

**Brooke _♥_ : u can come whenever**

 

**You: omw**

 

**Brooke _♥_ : okayyy :)**

 

Michael pocketed his phone, grabbing his wallet and his keys before heading out the door. Hopping into the PT Cruiser, Michael made a quick stop at 7/11, picking up a grape slushie for Brooke and a blue raspberry for himself before speeding towards Pinkberry, recalling the many times she had been seen at that very location.

 

Walking into the shop, he was met with the blue, pink and green color scheme, only a few people sitting inside. He walked up to the counter, picking a strawberry for Brooke and an original for himself, topping his off with brownie bites and putting some gummy bears in hers. Taking two spoons, he paid for the frozen yogurt before jumping back in his car and driving back towards Brooke’s.

 

Michael texted Brooke, letting her know that he was here before trying to balance both the slushies and the frozen yogurt in his hands. He was grateful to see that Brooke had opened the front door for him and was standing there in mint green colored pajamas, white fuzzy socks and her hair in two braids. Michael kicked the car door closed before making his way towards Brooke.

 

Seeing the slushies and the Pinkberry in Michael’s hands, Brooke beamed, opening the door wider to let Michael in. He smiled back at the girl before entering the house and standing awkwardly in the foyer. Brooke closed and locked the door before making her way over to Michael.

 

“My parents are out of town, so they aren’t home,” Brooke informed him, taking the slushies out of his hands to make it easier for him. Michael smiled gratefully, nodding his head in acknowledgement to the new information. Wordlessly, Brooke headed up the stairs and Michael took that as his queue to follow.

 

Brooke walked into one of the rooms upstairs, putting the drinks down on a shiny-finished white desk, gesturing for Michael to put the frozen yogurt down as well.

 

Michael looked around the room, taking in the light lime green walls and the fuzzy pink carpet in the middle of the floor. Her bed was made with a light pink comforter and a white dresser with perfumes littered all over the top of it was positioned next to a closed white door that Michael assumed was her closet. There was also a full-length mirror positioned against another wall, next to a vanity, which held a lot of makeup and beauty products. Michael nodded in appreciation, gently toeing off his shoes.

 

“I wasn’t feeling all that good today and I still don’t feel like hanging out with Chloe so I thought I could invite you over and we could get to know each other some more!” Brooke cheered, taking a seat on the fuzzy carpet. Michael followed suit, nodding as Brooke spoke.

 

She suddenly sprung up from her spot on the floor, walking over to a radio that was placed on her desk, putting in a disk and suddenly music filled the room.

 

“I know, I know, you probably weren't expecting oldies, but it’s what I like,” Brooke held up her hands in a surrendering motion, a smile on her face, “We can always change it if yo-”

 

“No! I love oldies!” Michael beamed up at the girl, his eyes shimmering with genuine happiness for the first time since the whole SQUIP thing started. Brooke did a little happy dance, wiggling her hips as she shimmied her shoulders. Michael laughed, mimicking the little dance from his spot on the floor, making Brooke chuckle as well.

 

She took a seat on the floor across from Michael as the two started to talk about their favorite music genres.

 

Music genres turned into talk about their interests and hobbies to what they were doing at that Halloween party to personal stories until it was three hours later and there were bags of chips and empty slushie cups strewn across the floor and half-eaten frozen yogurt sat on the floor, completely forgotten.

 

“So, Mikey,” Brooke smiled giddily, lying on her back on her bed, legs propped up against the wall and her head hanging off the side as she looked at Michael upside down, “you wanna watch a movie?”

 

Michael nodded, his eyes blurry from staying up so late. Brooke’s grin widened as she rolled off the bed, grabbing Michael’s hand and running down the stairs and to the living room. They both wore matching, dopey smiles on their faces as they sat down on the couch, conversing about nothing and everything as Brooke found some stupid movie on Netflix that they could watch. The movie had started, but neither one of them paid any attention, instead they talked some more about any odd thought that came to mind until they both fell asleep, the TV still playing in the background.

 

* * *

 

Michael woke up to the smell of coffee and cinnamon hitting him in the face. He smiled, his eyes still closed as he took in a deep breath, relishing the sweet scent. Sitting up from what he presumed was his bed, Michael rubbed his eyes before taking a look around the room. His half-lidded eyes suddenly opened wide as he realized that he was definitely _not_ in his room. He was on a couch in an unfamiliar living room, still in his clothes from the day before and his nails were painted a navy blue. It hit him suddenly, and his panicked expression morphed into one of pure glee. He had spent the night at Brooke’s.

 

Getting up off the couch, Michael marveled at his colored nails, the navy blue complimenting his complexion nicely and the sparkly silver that coated the nail on his ring finger added a little extra flare.

 

Walking into the kitchen, he saw Brooke standing at the counter, serving cinnabuns on tiny plates and cups of coffee and two bowls full of various types of fruits already placed on the table.

 

Brooke tensed, hearing the sound of feet shuffling on the ground behind her before she turned around to see a tired looking Michael looking around the kitchen.

 

“Good morning! I made cinnabuns!” She held up her creation, the sweet-smelling treat captivating Michael’s interest. Brooke laughed as Michael practically swooned over the breakfast she had made, handing one of the plates to him before taking a seat at the table.

 

“Thank you so, so much,” Michael praised before shoving a good portion of the cinnabun into his mouth. Brooke laughed as she took a bite of a strawberry, smiling fondly at him when he moaned in satisfaction.

 

The two ate, creating some small talk here and there but mostly just enjoying their meal. The silence between them was comfortable, the two becoming good friends over the course of their time hanging out last night.

 

After finishing their breakfast, Michael helped Brooke wash the dishes, the two of them fooling around by flicking water at each other and blowing bubbles made out of dish soap at each other. When they finally finished the dishes, Brooke ended up with the front of her shirt soaked and her socks discarded after she stepped in a puddle of water, Michael with a blob of dish soap on the tip of his nose and his glasses skewed on his face and a soaked kitchen counter. The two laughed as they looked around at the mess they had managed to create.

 

Brooke wiped the suds off of Michael’s nose with the sleeve of her shirt, the two unable to stop laughing. Once they finally were able to clean up the kitchen completely, Brooke picked up her phone, her eyes going wide when she saw what time it was.

 

“Oh shoot, Michael I’m sorry but I totally forgot I had play practice today!” Brooke put her phone back down on the counter, her eyes full of panic.

 

“Hey, no worries. Just go get ready and I’ll give you a ride,” Michael smiled at his new friend, grabbing Brooke by the arm to give her a noogie. Brooke shrieked, playfully slapping Michael’s arm in an attempt to get away.

 

When Michael let go of her, Brooke wrapped her arms around Michael’s neck, standing up on her tiptoes to give him a tight hug. “Thank you so much, Michael!” Michael just smiled even wider, wrapping his own arms around the girl’s waist, giving her a tight squeeze. Brooke let go of the boy, smiling at him brightly before running up the stairs.

 

“Anytime!” Michael yelled after her, shaking his head fondly. Michael grabbed his keys and wallet from where he had left them, making sure to grab Brooke’s phone as well so she wouldn’t forget it.

 

Brooke bounded back down the stairs, taking her phone gratefully out of Michael’s hand as the two headed out of the house and to Michael’s car.

 

The ride to school was full of witty jokes and small-talk, unlike the first car ride they had shared together. Both of their worries had washed away over the course of their time together the night before and Michael felt as if _this_ is what his life was supposed to be, joking around in his beat-up PT Cruiser with Brooke Lohst, of all people. He liked what life was throwing at him, he had never had another friend that wasn’t Jeremy all of middle school and high school and it felt nice.

 

As much as he loved Jeremy, having more than one friend felt so good. And even though he and Jeremy didn’t hang out anymore, thanks to the SQUIP, he still hadn’t ever had a friend that wasn’t Jeremy. This was so new to him and he loved it. There was still a part of his heart that yearned to be with his best friend, but Brooke wasn’t just a distraction. She was a real friend. A good friend.

 

When they pulled into the parking lot of their school, Brooke sighed when she saw that she was right on time. Unbuckling her seatbelt, Brooke opened her door, pushing it open with her foot slowly as she looked at Michael.

 

“Thanks again, Mikey. It really means a lot,” Brooke smiled at him and Michael noticed the lines next to her eyes. He had caused those. He had made her laugh and smile today, that felt good.

 

He smiled back at her, shaking his head to say it was no problem. “Now go! Don’t be late!” He waved his hand as if to shoo her away. Brooke nodded, closing the door with a shout of “goodbye!”.

 

Michael watched her go up to the front door of their high school, smiling and waving at her when she turned around and shot him a goofy smile and two thumbs up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It was a pain to post! But in all honestly, this is one of my favorite chapters. I have some more stuff prewritten, so updates might be more frequent... :)


	3. The Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael goes to The Play. It's basically the same as the musical. Oops?

If he wasn’t going for Jeremy, Michael was going to see the play for Brooke. The two of them had continued to hang out after that night at Brooke’s, and since then, they had only grown closer. The two have matching rings that they both wore on their pinkies. Brooke had bought them a few days before the play, they had been friends for a good month and a half at this point. She said it was like a friendship/promise ring of sorts and that when she saw them, it reminded her of him and she knew she had to buy them for them both. Each ring had half of a pixelated heart on them and when held together, it made a heart. 

 

Michael’s heart had soared when she gave him the other half, he felt that tingling feeling that he used to feel when he and Jeremy had completed a level of Apocalypse of the Damned together. Michael never thought he would feel that feeling again when Jeremy started ignoring him, but it came back when Brooke held out the ring to him. He perpetually wore it on his right pinkie and Brooke wore her half on her left pinkie. 

 

Michael could remember the first time they ever linked their rings together. It had been an especially hard day for Michael. One of those days where he just couldn’t seem to forget about Jeremy. Where, no matter what he did, he would always be in the back of his mind. One of those days where he had tried multiple times to get the boy’s attention with no success.  

 

Brooke had invited him over to let him talk it out. It ended with the two of them in tears, leaning on each other as they sat on the floor of Brooke’s bedroom, their backs up against her bed as they ate out of a big tub of vanilla ice cream, Brooke had said it was for emergencies. 

 

They both heaved, trying to get over the choked sobs stuck in their throats, when Brooke held up her left hand, putting it next to Michael’s so their rings fit in with each other perfectly. Michael had smiled for the first time that day, the two of them falling asleep against each other, their hands still resting next to each other and their rings still connected. 

 

And now Michael was sitting in his car, a bottle of Mountain Dew Red lying in the passenger seat as he willed himself to go inside. Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, Michael rested his forehead on the top of the wheel, eyes closed and breathing hard. 

 

Picking his head up, Michael’s eyes drifted towards the friendship bracelet tied around his wrist, the blinky charm re-attached to its end. His heart ached, but he still couldn’t get himself out of his seat. He had turned the car off a good ten minutes ago when he had first parked, but he still couldn’t get himself out of the car. Looking up from the bracelet, Michael then saw the ring on his pinkie finger. 

 

He got up.

 

He had to go in there. For Brooke. If he couldn’t help Jeremy, then he had to help her. She had shown him so much compassion throughout their friendship, even though it had just started. He had to be there for her, too. 

 

Grabbing the bottle of Mountain Dew Red his “retro shit hookup” Elliot had given him, Michael ran up to the front door, pushing it open and throwing a five dollar bill at the girl running the ticket stand, not bothering to even get one from her before running over to the double doors that lead to the auditorium. Opening it as quietly as he could, Michael sat down in the very back of the auditorium in the aisle seat, glad to see that no one else had decided to sit there as well. 

 

The show had barely started when he got there, he was glad to see that. He smiled when Brooke was on stage and clapped when everyone else did. His heart ached when Jeremy smiled, but he pushed past that feeling, knowing that soon enough he’d be able to get him to drink the bottle of Mountain Dew Red. 

 

During intermission, Michael stayed in his seat, pulling up the hood of his red sweatshirt and avoiding eye contact with every person that passed him. 

 

When act two started, Michael instantly knew something was wrong. Act one had been  _ horrendous _ . As good as Jeremy and Christine were, they couldn’t hold up a whole show, and as much as he loved Brooke, she wasn’t the best actor. When they suddenly started to act  _ too _ well, he knew it had to do with the SQUIP. Deciding it was now or never, Michael grabbed the bottle from the seat next to him, running down the aisle to the stairs leading up to the stage. 

 

Feet slapping against the floor, Michael jumped the steps two at a time. Chaos had ensued on stage, the acting facade coming to an end as the cast spiraled into hysterics. Most of the audience members had left out of sheer boredom or confusion and the sudden lack of plot, but the rest were kicked out by the girl at the ticket booth, who knew that this was definitely  _ not _ what had been rehearsed. 

 

“MICHAEL MAKES AN ENTRANCE!” He had said it without noticing, he was too concerned about why the hell Jeremy was just rolling around on the floor. 

 

“MICHAEL!” 

 

Jeremy. He was talking to him. OH GOD!

 

“I was just in the audience thinking, ‘this is pretty good for a school play’, then I was like, ‘this is way too good for a school play!’” Michael threw his hands up to emphasise his point. “They’ve all been SQUIPped, right?” 

 

Jeremy was looking at him like he was some sort of saint, and Michael was  _ very _ confused as to why. “Wait, you came to see me in the school play?!” That was why.

 

“Of course I did, dummy. Even brought my own refreshments!” Michael grabbed the bottle of Mountain Dew Red from where he left it on the floor, showing it off to Jeremy. 

 

“IS THAT…!?” Jeremy couldn’t finish his thought, he was just stuck looking at both Michael and the bottle in awe.

 

“Mountain Dew Red! Told ya I did my research!” Michael smiled at his friend, letting out a breathy laugh through his nose. He turned around to see Jake Dillinger looking quite confused at everyone around him, having not been SQUIPped himself. “Hey Jake! I know this might sound weird, but if I hold him down, do you think you could make Jeremy drink some of this Mountain Dew Red?” 

 

Jake shrugged, a smile plain on his face. “Actually, that doesn’t sound weird at all!” Michael then smiled as well, throwing the bottle towards the boy. 

 

Then Jake poured it out.

  
_ Shit _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is getting a lot more love than I thought it would??? You guys are so sweet with all of your kind words, I can't take the positivity you all show me. I love you all so much!! Thanks so much for reading :))


	4. Robbie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael plays some music. Jer comes over to play video games.

Three days.

 

It’s been three days since the play and Michael was sat in his room. Alone. Brooke was out reconciling her friendship with Chloe and Jeremy was still in the hospital because of the whole SQUIP thing and visiting hours were long since over. He was bored out of his mind, having played way too many video games to count all day long. 

 

Music.

 

Michael loved music, that was for sure. He was never seen without his bulky, white headphones wrapped loosely around his neck. But what no one knew was that he loved to play music too. He a ton of instruments hidden in a closet in the back of his room. Even Jeremy didn’t know how much this boy loved to sing and about the keyboard and drum kit and the ukulele that would be hidden away whenever someone was over. The only other two people who knew about Michael’s love for making music were Cecille and Sam, better known as his mothers, but they really don’t count, considering they live with him and bought him most of his instruments. 

 

Dragging the keyboard from out of the closet, Michael plugged it in, sitting down on the small stool he had bought for when he plays. His fingers danced around on the keys, trying to think of a song he wanted to play. 

 

He recognized the first few notes of “Robbie” being playing accidentally and he continued along with it. 

 

_ “Robbie was drummer in a rock band _

_ Robbie had problems he felt nobody could understand _

_ Robbie was a smart kid  _

_ I’m not really sure _

_ But my mother says he was, so I guess I believe her” _

 

Michael sighed, closing his eyes, not having to look at the keys as he had already memorized this song.

 

_ “He left these old vinyls in my house _

_ Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead _

_ But mom never played a single one _

_ I asked her why and she said  _

_ That they were her brother’s records once _

_ And they had painful stories from long ago _

_ So my uncle’s old stuff sits on the shelf” _

 

This song was one that he loved to play. There was no reason why, no feelings resonated with it, he just loved the way the piano sounded and how his voice seemed almost perfect for the song. It was one of those songs he’d catch himself humming at random. 

 

_ “With a history that nobody can know” _

 

Michael stopped himself there, his fingers lifting up off of the keys. He didn’t know what made him check his phone, but he felt compelled to check if he had gotten any notifications. 

 

Walking over to his bed, Michael patted the comforter until he felt the cool metal screen touch his fingertips. 

 

**Jer☯: can i come over??**

 

Michael looked at his phone, utterly confused. Wasn’t he still in the hospital? Why would he want to talk to me now, at three in the morning?

 

**You: yeah ofc. door’s unlocked**

 

**Jer☯: thanks**

 

Michael picked up the keyboard in one hand and the stand in the other, rushing to the closet to shove them inside. He had two closets in his room. One held all of his clothes, shoes, and pointless storage he had no room for, while the other was locked up and held all of the different instruments he had. Whenever asked, Michael always said his mom’s had some things in there that he wasn’t able to share or some stupid shit like that. Once he got everything put away, Michael turned on the TV, deciding to play some Centipede, knowing it was one of Jeremy’s favorite old school video games. 

 

He heard the front door open, but decided to ignore it, knowing that Jeremy would come down to the basement. As if on queue, Michael could hear the soft pitter-patter of socked feet making their way down the stairs. 

 

Michael looked up from his spot on one of the beanbags he had set up on the floor, controller still in hand as he was most likely dying in the game.

 

“Hey,” Jeremy looked down at his feet, not knowing what to do now.

 

“Hey,” Michael repeated, setting his controller down on the floor and crossing his legs on the chair. Jeremy looked at Michael for a long time, not knowing what to say. 

 

“I um…” Jeremy started, only to be cut off by Michael.

 

“I thought you were still in the hospital,” The boy commented, though it was still evident that there was an unasked question that went along with his comment. 

 

“They discharged me after visiting hours were over. They said I could wait until morning but I wanted to come and talk to you,” Jeremy moved forward, taking a seat on the unoccupied beanbag chair, still looking at Michael.

 

“Oh,” Michael lamely finished, fiddling with his fingers. 

 

“Mike… god, I am so, so sorry. Honestly I had no idea what the hell would happen when I got that damn thing, but I never expected  _ this _ and just,  _ god _ , I would totally understand if you didn’t want to be friends anymore after how horribly I treated you, but I just want you to know that I am really, really sorry and I ju-”

 

“Shut up, Jer,” Michael laughed lowly, rolling his eyes fondly at the boy sitting next to him. “Of course I forgive you, ya dummy!” Jeremy let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, muttering something along the lines of “oh thank god” when Michael continued. “But don’t think you’re getting off the hook so easily, man. We’re still going to talk about this. Whether or not we do that right now is not what I’m concerned about, but I don’t want to just pretend like this whole thing never happened.”

 

“I totally understand that!” Jeremy practically squeaked, shaking his hands in front of his chest, palms facing outwards and fingers wiggling, as if that would further prove his point, “I’m just glad you want to be friends again.” Jeremy sighed again, relief flooding through his body. Michael could see him visibly relax after that, his shoulders lowering and his breaths returning to a normal pace. 

 

“Apocolypse of the Damned?” Michael suggested, holding out a second controller for his best friend.

 

“You ready, player one?” Jeremy challenged. 

 

Michael beamed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back with a new chapter!! I hope you guys enjoyed this one! It's not one of my best, but I promise this story is going somewhere. I, for some reason, love to entertain myself with the idea of Michael being very musically inclined and having a secret passion for them, so I wrote that in here, too. Just, let Micah be the father of music. I'll see ya guys on the flip side when I have a new chapter to share. Love yous!! <3
> 
> Yeah also, about the two notes thing, idk why that happens rip me. Just ignore it and read this one :)


	5. Halloween Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the boyfs talk

It was rough at first, but soon enough the two of them pretty much got their friendship back. There were a whole lot of “I’m sorry”’s and talks about what went down while the other was gone. Hugs were exchanged, tears were shed, but they consider themselves closer than they ever had been before. 

 

They had yet to talk about Halloween, though.

 

Until today.

 

They were in Michael’s basement, Apocalypse of the Damned theme music playing softly as the two of them played. Michael was on the edge of his beanbag, tapping the buttons on his controller with an unnecessary amount of force. Jeremy was distant, though, unlike his player one. He wasn’t focused on the flat screen TV in front of him, instead he was off in his head, thoughts of Halloween corrupting his brain rather than fighting combos.

 

“Jere, what’s up with you? You’ve been totally out of it all  night?” Michael looked over at his friend, concerned. Jeremy hadn’t even realized the game was paused until he heard Michael’s voice from beside him and looked up at the screen. When he didn’t say anything, Michael sighed, shifting his body to face his best friend. “You can talk to me, you know. What’s on your mind?”

 

“Halloween,” Jeremy blurted out, his face going red when he realized he had said that out loud. He clamped his hands together tightly, trying to will away the embarrassment as he looked into his lap. 

 

“Okay,” Michael spoke slowly, but not unkindly, and Jeremy was overly grateful for that, “We can talk about that.” 

 

Jeremy looked back up at his friend, wringing his hands together. Michael placed his own two hands over the other’s jittery ones, trying to bring the boy’s focus towards him. 

 

“It’s okay that you want to talk about it, Jeremy. There’s no need to be worried,” Michael smiled sweetly at the boy across from him, who, in return, smiled back. 

 

“Thanks,” Jeremy’s voice was small, but Michael just waited for him to continue. “I just want to say that I’m really, really sorry. I can’t just pretend that it didn’t happen and neither can you, but I want you to know that if I could, I would go back in time and do everything differently. Even if it was all controlled by the SQUIP, I would try over and over again to change what had happened in that damn bathroom. And,  _ fuck _ , Michael, you don’t deserve anything that I put you through. Right after I left that bathroom, I knew something had happened, something that damaged to our friendship even more and I am so, so grateful that we could get that bond back again after all the shit I put you through. Michael, really, if you take anything away from this, just know that if I could prevent everything from happening, I would.” Jeremy finished with a deep breath as Michael let him talk, not daring to interrupt him. He just nodded, taking everything in.

 

Jeremy stared at his friend in both fear and curiosity, scared that he may have overshared or said the wrong thing. All of his fears were then washed away when Michael pulled the other boy into his chest, wrapping his arms around his torso and squeezing him tightly. Neither one of them had noticed the tears that started to fall until well after they were dried. 

 

Michael let out a wet chuckle, sniffling. “Dude, I know, I know,” was all that he said, holding Jeremy tighter and rubbing circles into his back with his hand. They had fallen asleep like that, with the mutual understanding that they had done enough talking that night for such a heavy subject.

 

But soon enough, they both opened up. Jeremy told him about the Chloe Scandal, how his SQUIP had been on and off all night, how he was so, so scared when news went around about the fire, how he felt so guilty after leaving Michael all alone. 

 

And Michael told him about his panic attack. He spilled all of his feelings, how after that day at the party, even the smallest thing had started to remind him of Jeremy and it  _ hurt _ . It hurt so badly that he didn’t have many words to use when explaining it. He explained how he had left after he had calmed himself down, how he had found Brooke on the front steps crying, how the two of them were close friends now and went over to each other’s houses whenever he wasn’t with Jeremy, how he felt like he had lost his best friend forever. What he didn’t tell Jeremy, though, was all the thoughts that had circled his mind for a good hour. How he had wished death upon himself or that he was never born so he didn’t have to feel that pain, or how he blamed himself for making Jeremy want more because  _ he _ had brought him down.  _ He _ had created Jeremy’s reputation as a “geek”. 

 

And he never planned on telling him.

 

“Wait, you’re friends with Brooke?” Jeremy’s incredulous voice wavered in both confusion and something Michael could only identify as… excitement? 

 

Michael nodded, holding up his right hand, wiggling is pinkie finger. “She gave me this, too. She’s a sweet girl, really she is.” Jeremy nodded, smiling at the sight of the tiny decal on the ring. His eyes traveled down to the swaying Blinky charm that was still attached to his bracelet after all this time. Jeremy’s smile widened, pointing to the charm.

 

Michael followed Jeremy’s line of sight to the bracelet adorning his wrist. Michael subconsciously smiled as well, running his thumb over the shiny medal. Jeremy held up his own wrist, showing off the bracelet that the SQUIP had made him take off. Even with that evil supercomputer practically controlling him, he had never had the heart to dispose of it, and he’s so glad that he never did. 

 

It was moments like these that he knew for sure that Michael was with him for the long haul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, I know, I haven't updated in a long ass time and I am so sorry. I'll be back on schedule now though, I promise~


	6. Makeup and Ukuleles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey plays the uke. Brooke does his makeup. Life is good.

“Mikey!” Brooke shouted from her doorway, watching her friend run up to the house, no PT Cruiser today. She grinned as Michael ran faster at the sight of Brooke standing outside, holding out her arms in a gesture for him to run faster. 

 

Climbing the stairs two at a time, Michael was greeted with a bone-crushing hug when he reached the door. Laughing loudly, Michael wrapped his own arms around the girl, picking her up off the ground and swaying her side to side, eliciting a shriek out of the small girl. 

 

“Michael!” She pounded her fists against the boy’s back and he finally let her down. Brooke laughed, grabbing Michael’s hand and pulling him inside. “I haven’t seen you in so long!”

 

Michael smiled at her, messing up her hair with his hand just like all that time ago, when they had their first sleepover. The blonde laughed, grabbing the boy’s hand once again, she led him upstairs to her room.

 

“Thanks again for letting me practice on you,” Brooke looked back at her friend, her eyes wide with excitement. 

 

“Anytime, babe,” Michael joked, sitting down in the chair in front of Brooke’s vanity. Brooke rolled her eyes, pulling out a bunch of different makeup products. 

 

“It’s just that I want to get better at doing makeup and who better to practice on than my favorite neighbor and one of my best friends!” Brooke spoke loudly, something she tended to do when she was really excited, making Michael grin. 

 

As she worked, Michael noticed that Brooke could never stay still. It wasn’t in a nervous way like Jeremy or in a rambunctious way like Christine, just that, for example, while standing, Brooke liked to dance. She would do little things like shimmy her shoulders, jazz hands, or hum to herself as she wiggled her hips and shuffled her feet. It was quite endearing, honestly, and Michael decided that anyone would be lucky to have her as their girlfriend. Her energy always rubbed off on Michael, making him, too, dance around in his seat whenever Brooke wasn’t putting something on his face.

 

“All done!” Brooke cheered, putting down a makeup brush and clapping her hands together. She grabbed a small, circular mirror that was sat on the vanity, turning on the ring light that surrounded it before handing it over to Michael.

 

Michael gasped at the sight. He didn’t look that different considering Brooke went very muted and natural, but he couldn’t help but marvel at the simple beauty of it all. 

 

She had outdone all of Michael’s expectations. His eyelids were painted with a muted, dirty brown eyeshadow, a shimmery gold color in the corner of his eye and on the lower lash line. A thin winged liner was added, accentuating the shape of his eyes nicely. She had put some mascara on his lashes, adding to the illusion that his eyes were the main focus of his face. With a little bit of blush and golden highlighter, Brooke had called it quits, deciding that she didn’t need to go all out on him. She had said he had a “natural beauty that she didn’t want to erase”. 

 

Putting down the small mirror, Michael looked up at the bigger one that was attached to the vanity, turning his head left and right to get a full view. 

 

“Damn, Brooke, I look hot as fuck,” Michael admired himself in the mirror, one of his signature toothy grins on his face. Brooke laughed gleefully, walking up behind him and placing her hands on his left shoulder, leaning her face forward next to his.

 

“Hell yeah, you do!” Brooke smiled giddily, giggling at Michael’s reaction. “Now… time for nails!” 

 

* * *

 

Michael was in his bedroom, his clock reading 11:52pm, when his phone went off. He had left Brooke’s house a little after nine, when she playfully kicked him out because her parents were coming home. He hadn’t washed off the makeup, enjoying it far too much to take it off. He had actually forgotten about it as he laid in bed, mindlessly strumming his guitar. 

 

He looked over at his phone when he heard a soft buzz emit from the device, seeing his mother’s name appear on the screen. He reached over, grabbing the device, answering the call and putting it on speaker. “Hey, mama,” Michael answered, boredness seeping through his voice. 

 

“Micah, cheer up you bum,” His mom, Cecille, nagged at him. “Anyway, just called to let you know-”

 

“Another business trip?” Michael guessed, cutting off his mom.

 

“Another business trip,” She confirmed, sighing sadly, “I’m sorry, bub, but we’ve got stuff this week.”

 

Michael held back a groan. He was used to this. He knew his mothers hated that they couldn’t be home all the time, he knew that they felt terrible leaving him home alone, but Michael was okay with them being gone a lot, there were just times that he wished they were home so he could talk to them. 

 

“That’s alright, ma. I’ll see you when you guys get back,” Michael smiled, even though he knew his mom couldn’t see it. 

 

“Exactly. We love you, honey. We’ll be home soon,” He could hear the sadness in his mother’s voice, but decided it’d be better to ignore it rather than make a comment about it.

 

“Love you too, Ma. See you guys soon,” He waited for her to hang up before continuing to mindlessly strum his guitar. 

 

Michael’s phone buzzed again, this time with a text.

 

**Jer** **☯** **: unlock your door you ass**

 

Michael smiled, putting the guitar under his bed before climbing up the stairs and going to unlock the door. Jeremy stood on the other side, shivering from the cold. Michael rolled his eyes, grabbing the boy by the sleeve of his cardigan and pulling him inside. 

 

“I could have picked you up, dummy. It’s too cold to walk,” Michael started to walk down the stairs to his bedroom, trusting that Jeremy would follow him. He did.

 

Jeremy just laughed, skipping down the stairs after his friend. Jeremy’s nose scrunched up at the strong smell of weed that suddenly hit him in the face, but after a few seconds, he breathed in the scent. 

 

“You want a hit, bro?” Michael laughed at Jeremy, going over to the couch in front of the TV and flopping down on it. Jeremy just stuck out his tongue, sitting on one of the beanbags in front of the couch. 

 

Michael closed his eyes, sighing at the smell that filled up the room. Usually, at this point, Jeremy would make some witty remark, but when it never came, Michael opened one eye, looking at Jeremy, only to find the boy already staring at him.

 

“Like what you see, babe?” Michael playfully flirted, wagging his eyebrows exaggeratedly. 

 

“Sh-shut up. But… are you wearing makeup? Not that that’s a problem! It actually looks really nice. You look really pretty, actually. Wait, no, that’s not what I meant, it’s just that with makeup, you look re-” Jeremy babled, only to be cut off by Michael, who let out a loud snort.

 

“Yo, dude, I got it,” He was breathless from laughing, rolling his eyes at his friend, “Brooke did it, said she wanted to practice some techniques, whatever the fuck that means.” 

 

Jeremy nodded, his blush still very present on his face and neck. “It looks nice,” He managed to smile at his friend, trying to keep his blush under control. 

 

“Thanks, man!” Michael beamed, eyes squinting. The two of them then dive straight into random conversation topics, Michael having to snap Jeremy out of a daydream every once in a while.

When the conversation started to come to an end, Jeremy started to look around the familiar room when he saw something he never expected to see in Michael’s room.

 

“You play ukulele?” Jeremy asked, gesturing to the pale yellow instrument that lay on Michael’s bed. Michael felt his face start to grow hot, something he didn’t tend to feel. For christs sake, being a blushing mess was Jeremy’s job!

 

Michael hesitantly nodded, smiling sheepishly. Jeremy smiled widely, bouncing up and down in his seat. “That’s so cool! I never knew you played! How long have you been playing?”    
  
“I think… four years now?” Michael’s sheepish smile only grew as he confessed, and he laughed when he heard Jeremy gasp.

 

“How come I never knew that?! Can you play me something? Of course, only if you want to! If not, that’s totally fine, I understand. Only if you-”

 

“Shut the hell up, you dork. I’ll play you something,” Michael let out an airy laugh, getting up from his spot on the couch and retrieving his ukulele from where it rested on his bed. “You wanna sing something, dude?” Michael asked his friend, knowing the question would fluster him. 

 

As if on queue, Jeremy sported a bright red blush. He stared at Michael incredulously, which made Michael snort.

 

“You’ve taken a handful of showers here, man. I know you sing in there,” Michael didn’t think it was possible, but Jeremy’s blush darkened even more as he looked down at his socks.    
  


“I mean… sure,” Jeremy said, his voice hushed, and Michael pumped his fist in the air. Sitting back down on the couch, the taller boy started strumming a familiar tune. 

 

Looking at Jeremy, Michael wiggled his eyebrows as he played and Jeremy laughed, his blush starting to fade away.

 

“Cecily Smith, really?” Jeremy asked, rolling his eyes fondly at the boy across from him. Michael just smiled widely at him, swaying side to side as he continued to play. Jeremy watched him both wistfully and affectionately, a small smile on his lips as he watched Michael dance in his seat, his eyes closed as he was strumming the ukulele.

 

_ “The war was over, I was livin’ with my folks” _

 

Michael opened his eyes, smiling brightly at Jeremy, who was now blushing once again. Jeremy shook his head, smile never leaving his face.

 

_ “I yelled upstairs _

_ ‘Hey ma, i’m off to grab some smokes’ _

_ And my father called ‘why you need to smoke so late?’ _

_ I lied, I had a date” _

 

Michael bobbed his head to the sound of Jeremy’s voice, his eyes closing once again from the serenity the sound brought him. Jeremy watched him, his heart fluttering. He was secretly happy Michael had his eyes closed, he wouldn’t be caught staring at his friend lovingly-  _ wait what? _

 

_ “Free from my folks’ enslavement _

_ Skippin’ along the pavement _

_ To see a brunette who I never met _

_ But I never would forget” _

 

Jeremy smiled at Michael, his heart aching for a reason that he couldn’t pinpoint. There was something about the dork in front of him, who, by now, was full on bouncing in his spot on the couch, that made Jeremy feel completely and utterly happy. 

 

_ “How she looked in that dress _

_ How she stuck out her hand and said _

_ ‘My name is Cecily Smith, _

_ And i hope you like music _

_ Cuz i’ve got two tickets to la traviata’ _

_ That’s when I said ‘I hate opera’” _

 

Michael peeked through his half lidded eyes, watching Jeremy sway in time with the song and smiling. 

 

_ “She laughed and said, _

_ ‘Well lucky for you that you’re with Cecily Smith _

_ Who cares what you’re listening to _

_ It’s who you’re listening with’” _

 

Jeremy stopped, deciding he wanted to just listen to Michael play the ukulele rather than sing along. The other boy realized the singing had stopped, but he continued to play, his dancing slowing down to a small sway. 

 

“You’re really good,” Jeremy’s voice was nothing but sincere as he stared at Michael with a mix of adoration and awe. The brunette shook his head, rolling his eyes.

 

“Are you kidding? All I did was strum some fucking strings. You, man, have a great voice,” Michael gushed and Jeremy’s blush was right on time. He looked down at his hands that were folded in his lap, always unable to take a compliment.

 

“Thanks, Michael,” Jeremy smiled and got one from Michael in return. “Your nails look nice,” He pointed out, gesturing to Michael’s hands which were limply resting on the ukulele. He looked down at his hands, seeing the emerald green color painted on his nails.

 

“I can do yours if you want to,” Michael offered, putting down the small instrument and getting up to go to the bathroom. Jeremy just nodded, actually really excited for Michael to paint his nails. He never knew he wanted to do that until now, but the sight of the pretty green color on his best friend’s nails was enough to convince him. 

 

Michael came back with a few bottles of nail polish that he had stolen from Brooke, along with a few q-tips and nail polish remover.

 

“Pick a color,” Michael gestured to the different bottles scattered on the floor as he sat himself down in a comfortable position. After examining the multitude of colors, Jeremy picked up a bottle of blue polish, liking the way that it would match most, if not all, of his clothes. Michael smiled at the color choice before pushing the others bottles aside and shaking the blue one a little bit. 

 

They conversed some more and Michael painted Jeremy’s nails, pausing every once in a while to tell the other to stay still or it wouldn’t look good. After Michael had carefully cleaned up the edges of Jeremy’s nails, he informed his friend that they would have to sit tight for a while to let the paint dry. 

 

It was a different type of night than the ones they were used to, but they weren’t opposed to the change at all.

 

In fact, it was kind of nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter!! I personally really like this one cause of that Good Brooke And Michael Shit, ya know? Anyways, I really hope you guys liked this one! 
> 
> Also, oh my god, y'all are so damn sweet??? Like, all of your comments just make my day and I love reading all of your kind words!! They really mean a lot to me, so thank you :)))


	7. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy has new friends. Michael isn't sure why he feels conflicted.

Michael wasn’t used to Jeremy having other friends.

 

It’s not like he was jealous or angry or anything like that. He just had to get used to being turned down by his friend once or twice when he asked him to hang out. 

 

On those days, if Jeremy wasn’t available, Michael would hang out if Brooke if she was free. Sometimes she would be shopping with Chloe or be going to lunch with Jake, she’d even be hanging out with Jeremy, but when she could, she would always say yes to hanging out with Michael.

 

It was one day during the early summer that Jeremy had had enough of living two lives and decided to combine them into one.

 

“Do you want to meet my friends?” Jeremy had asked out of the blue, pausing the game they were playing in the middle of a level. Michael looked from the TV over to his best friend, shocked. 

 

Weren’t his other friends a way to get away from Michael every once in a while? Would they really want him there? He wasn’t even SQUIPped, he wouldn’t know what to say around them. He never talked to most of them, he was only friends with Brooke and had talked to Rich about five times when visiting the hospital. 

 

“Helloooo, Earth to Michael?” Said boy snapped out of his trance to see a worried looking Jeremy in his face, waving his hand up and down in front of him. Michael slapped the hand away playfully, sticking his tongue out. “It was just a suggestion, Michael. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything! You really don’t have to if y-”

 

“Jeremiah! It’s fine, as long as you want me to be apart of your friend group,” Michael looked down at his feet as he said the last part, wiggling his toes that were covered by his neon green socks with a pattern of purple dinosaurs all over them. 

 

“What? Of course I would, man. Why wouldn’t I?” Jeremy looked truly upset and confused, his head tilted to one side as he tried to figure out why in the world his best friend thought he wouldn’t want him to be apart of his life. 

 

“I don’t know. I just don’t know if I would fit in with that crowd,” Michael shrugged, stealing a quick glance at his friend and regretting it when he saw the look of confusion and hurt on his face. 

 

“Michael,  _ I’m  _ friends with them. They’re obviously gonna accept you. You’re like, the coolest guy I know,” Jeremy smiled, resting a hand on the other boy’s shoulder.

 

A shit-eating grin sprouted on Michael’s face as he turned towards his friend, “Is that really true, I’m the  _ coooolest  _ person you know?” He suggestively wiggled his eyebrows a few times, each time he inched closer towards Jeremy. In response, the other boy slapped Michael’s arm, pushing him backwards.

 

“Shut up,” He laughed, shaking his head at his friend’s antics. Michael just shoved his face in front of Jeremy’s a smug smile gracing his lips.

 

“Make me,” He narrowed his eyes, staring right into Jeremy’s, his smile growing wider when he saw Jeremy flush under his gaze. Michael slowly inched forward, moved his hands to rest them on either side of Jeremy’s waist. He tilted his head a bit, watching as Jeremy’s blush darkened. Then, he tickled him.

 

The moment was broken when Jeremy shrieked, wriggling under Michael’s grip and gasping for air.

 

“Stah- stop i-it!” Jeremy whined, attempting to kick Michael, but barely had the strength to do so. Michael just grinned, moving his hands up and down Jeremy’s sides, bathing in his own personal victory. 

 

Finally, he let go of his friend, moving back to his own seat and burrowing his back into the beanbag. His smirk never left his face as Jeremy regained control over his breathing, sitting up straight and moving backwards to get away from Michael.

 

“Sure, I’ll meet the others,” Michael’s smirk turned into a soft smile before he unpaused the game and continued where they left of, Jeremy following suit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my gOD YOU GUYS!! You're all so patient with me whenever I forget to upload, like, I can't thank you enough. I know this one was short so maybe I'll post another chapter this weekend or somethingg. But I hope you guys enjoyed this one!! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you guys for reading!! :)
> 
> Song: The Things We Used To Share - Thomas Sanders


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